Sixty-three percent of District schools rated Excellent and Good on newly-released, redesigned State Report Cards

In the first release of overall ratings in four years for State Report Cards, 63 percent of Horry County schools received overall ratings of Excellent and Good. Across South Carolina, only 44 percent of public schools received the same overall ratings, the highest two ratings possible under updated state and federal accountability requirements.

Issued annually by the South Carolina Department of Education in partnership with the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, State Report Cards comply with federal guidelines for the Every Student Succeeds Act. Compared to previous years, State Report Cards have a different look, include more data, and introduce five new overall ratings that schools can earn: Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Unsatisfactory. School districts receive a State Report Card, yet were not issued an overall rating. The State’s previous Report Card rating system was paused in 2014 amid changes in standardized assessments and accountability requirements.

The new overall rating system factors in students’ performance data on state assessments, as well as results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administered in 2015. Known as the “nation’s report card,” NAEP tests fourth and eighth grade students in every state in the nation in the areas of math, reading, science, and writing. Administered every two years, the 2015 NAEP data was the most recent national comparison data available to state leaders when new rating scales were determined in December 2017.

Using the new overall rating system, 15 percent of South Carolina schools were rated Excellent, 20 percent were rated Good, 35 percent were rated Average, 18 percent were rated Below Average, eight percent were rated Unsatisfactory, and two percent were Not Rated.

By comparison, Horry County schools’ earned higher overall ratings: 27 percent of schools were rated Excellent, 37 percent were rated Good, 30 percent were rated Average, and six percent were rated Below Average. No District school received a rating of Unsatisfactory.

Along with a new overall rating system, the Report Cards feature several new items of data, including scores from the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVASS), which looks at student growth year-over-year for elementary and middle schools. State Report Cards also include information about the number of school incidents that were reported during the 2016-2017 school year, two years earlier than most of the student performance data included in the report.

Among the District’s 10 high schools, overall ratings were as follows: HCS Early College High, (Excellent); St. James High, Aynor High, Carolina Forest High, North Myrtle Beach High, and Socastee High schools, (Good); Green Sea Floyds High, Conway High, and Myrtle Beach High schools, (Average); and Loris High (Below Average). No District high school received an Unsatisfactory rating.

The 2018 State Report Cards are available online for Horry County Schools and each of its elementary, middle, and high schools. In addition to information about student achievement and academic growth data measured by state and national assessments, State Report Cards also include information about College and Career Readiness, high school graduation rates, indicators of school engagement, and numeric and statistical profiles about the District and each of its schools.

Forestbrook Middle

Inspiring Possibilities

Horry County Schools' vision is to be a premier, world-class school system in which every student acquires an excellent education. Our schools will be welcoming centers organized around high-quality teaching and learning.

Horry County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, immigrant status, English-speaking status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal or S.C. law in its programs or activities. For questions regarding the nondiscrimination policies call 843-488-6700, or write Horry County Schools, 335 Four Mile Rd., Conway, SC 29526 or click here for a list of contacts.